Bingo Book
by Autumn's Wind
Summary: When he was finally getting some peace, or that's what he was thinking, he had to come across those who held a bingo book and a splash of color. He was at a loss of how to react... SasuSaku one-shot for the SasuSaku fanfic contest.


**Bingo Book**

I had such company outward bound.

I went till there were no cottages found.

I turned and repented, but coming back

I saw no window but that was black.

--from Good Hours by Robert Frost

He got used to being a missing-nin…so used to it that getting away from hunters, now, did not seem as impossible as it may have seemed at first. He had nothing to be bound to anymore. He had achieved his goal of revenging his family and he could say that he overcame the pain and emptiness induced by him having to murder his own brother. Yet, even so, he could not bring himself to come back to the place he once called home. He could say that the great Sasuke Uchiha was afraid of the (overwhelming) memories Konoha might bring back to him, but, most importantly, he wouldn't risk being executed for leaving the village.

And he did not want to admit that a small part of him would gladly approve of throwing himself into the gallows and ending his life, in which he was more like a sacrificial lamb. What he did wanted to admit was that he was strong enough to live his life despite his sufferings.

While in Sound, his mind was left preoccupied with thoughts of revenge, surviving and getting stronger. Now that all these were no longer a problem constantly asking for attention, he had so many flashes in which his old team begged for his attention that they became harder and harder to ignore. Eventually he gave up fighting their memory and whenever the Uchiha was seen engrossed in though, he was thinking of Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi…the people who had tried so hard to keep him on the good side and uncorrupted.

Sakura was on a different level from the others, though. She could not be merely a friend for him when he accepted her like he accepted no other girl. His most regret was going towards her. He thought about it over and over again, even reaching the conclusion that his 'treason' was, in a way, beneficial for her, by helping her mature. Yet he could not forget her…

Even when he knew he was being followed, he barely managed to concentrate on the matter at hand.

Sakura…._sakura_…

"You are Uchiha Sasuke…" one of the four man which 'suddenly' appeared in front of him spoke "it will be our honor to make you pay for the offence brought to the Raikage…" the man spoke as he looked into what looked like a bingo book…an assassin's guide.

Why the man flipped the pages forward before appearing to want to say something, was something the Uchiha couldn't quite understand, besides the fact that he looked on another ninja's profile and wished to comment something. Perhaps it was his brother's profile; everyone had it.

After the fight began and his enemies were defeated, sweat glistened on Sasuke's skin and his breathing was harsher than usual. The hunters were skilled, even if not the best.

Just as he was about to leave the clearing, the same bingo book the hunter held and shortly studied before, caught his eye. After reaching it, he bent over and picked it up.

It was thick, as the enemy, apparently, only updated it by putting an 'X' on every ninja that was eliminated and by adding new profiles at the end of the book. After flipping the pages for a few seconds he found his own profile…he could see his death right in front of his eyes. The big, red X on his picture angered him and, ignoring the advantages of being considered dead, he ripped the page apart, as if denying his own death.

Dropping the data book from his hand he turned to leave, when the sound of it hitting the ground made him stop in his moves, as he recalled how the ninja looked into the profile of another 'wanted' before the fight began. He slowly turned his head and looked over his shoulder at it. It had to be some connection between him and that unknown ninja in the bingo book.

He bent over again.

He flipped the pages again and, this time, passed the place where his own profile was just minutes ago, moving slower as to not miss that ninja.

And he didn't. Just as he was losing his patience the book almost dropped from his fingers again, this time, for a different reason.

In an assassin's guide, in a book where only the most dangerous and wanted ninja were added, was a splash of colour. He understood his opponent's gesture. She had once been his teammate.

Sakura Haruno had been added in a bingo book. Adding to this was the fact that her picture was in a condition he could never have guessed would be. It was under a big, red X. He knew the meaning of that. His hands began shaking.

He was at a loss of how to react, even when thoughts came crushing down on him in a furious torrent. He saw her abilities written down on the paper, but he mostly stared at two words: _low stamina_. He saw the name of Kakashi and was instantly reminded of her remaining teammates, which, apparently and irritatingly, hadn't been _there…_

_And why was she even in a bingo book? She didn't belong in there. She was too naïve to become so wanted, and to attract so many people's attention_.

He looked in disbelief at her profile. The pale skin, pale pink hair and vibrant green eyes…under the bloody cross.

He knew his breath was harsher and he, literally, burned. He was in complete chaos and he was terrified by the intensity of it.

Sasuke Uchiha didn't cut off his bonds with his old team and friends. He had pushed them in the deepest corner of his mind and ignored them, but never forgot them; they were still in his heart…_even she_.

* * *

A / N : This is my entry for the SasuSaku fanfiction contest held in the SasuSaku Fc at forums . narutofan . com

This one here is only a one-shot, but expect a more complex fanfic based on this one here to be published somewhere in the future.

Reviews are very much appreciated.

Thank you for reading.


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